Mechanical shoveller



June 16, 1959 J. DECAT MECHANICAL SHOVELLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 11. 1954 Mus/won L/ULES 0CAT June 16, 1959 J. DEcAf MECHANICAL SHOVELLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 11, 1954 /NVENTOR L/ULES 05m is ma ernal:

MECHANICAL SHOVELLER Filed Oct. 11, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 L/ULES UECAT AI; 040mm! United Sttes Patent 2,890,783 MECHANICAL SHOVELLER Jules Decat, Montrouge, France Application October 11, 1954, Serial No."461,47 6 Claims priority, application France December 2, 1953 7 Claims. (Cl. 198-7) The present invention relates to improvements in mechanical shovellers.

In accordance with the invention, the frame supporting the scraper chain is constituted by two beams pivotally connected to one another at one end. The beam nearer the discharge end of the scraper chain is pivotally connected at its other end in a trough, which is mounted on a carriage serving for the shifting of the shoveller as a whole. These beams are preferably made from tubular elements assembled to form a framework'of :generally rectangular form. The beam, situated at the pickupendof the scraper chain, is suspended on this trough, through the intermediary of a collar surrounding the free end of this beam and connected'by ties to a jib, pivotally mounted on'the forward extremity of the'trough,so that the beam can be raised or lowered at will, by operation or the jib and through a cable and a winch mounted on the trough.

The scraper chain, passing over a drive pinion and over a tens'ioning pulley, which are mounted at the opposite ends of the frame of the shoveller, is also guided, where it passes the pivotal connection of these'beams, by two rollers, each mounted at the end of each of these beams near the pivotal connection. This arrangement prevents the chain from rubbing on the pivotal connection of the 'beams and decreases the sharpness ofcurvature of the chain in this region.

-'Stops,the position of which are adjustable, "mounted on the trough, limit'the descending movement of'the end'of the beam mounted in this trough, in the vicinity of its pivotal connection with the other beam, inorder to prevent the chain from catching on the lip of the trough at its entry into the latter.

The trough is itself pivotally connected on -the chassis of the carriage, and can be raised or lowered thereon, by means of an articulated system actuated by a lever, in order to permit of -resting-the front lip of the trough upon the grounder of raising it to a certain height for the movement of'the shoveller. 4

The invention also relates to the special construction of the scraper chain, as will be described hereinafter in greater 'detail.

The attached drawings represent, by way of example, a form of embodiment of the shoveller according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the shoveller.

Figure 2 is a plan view corresponding thereto, but with certain parts omitted for the purpose of clarity of the drawings.

Figure 3 is a perspective view or a link of the scraper chain.

Figures 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the trough respectively in its lowered position and in its raised position in relation to the chassis of the supporting carriage, and

Figures 6 and 7 are corresponding views, in side and end elevation, of the trough in its lowered position.

Theshoveller comprises a'frameformed by two beams a and b, which are 'pivotally connected to one another at one endby a spindle c; the beam b is pivotally connec'ted at its opposite end by a spindle 'b in a trough d, which 'is itself mounted on a carriage e serving for the shifting of the shoveller as awhole.

Each of 'thebea'rns a and b is formed of tubular elements (longitudinal and cross members), connected'with bne an'other in any appropriate manner, for example by welding, to form a frame of generally rectangular 'form.

The beam it carries, at its rear end, opposite 'to the articulation c, a shaft a with a tensioning roller for 'the endless scraper chain 'gg'the latter passes, at the opposite end of the frame of the shoveller, over a drivepinion h, hired ona transverse shaft h journalled at W, H 'in the trough 0?; this shaft h also carries a chain sprocket k driven by a chain h which is itself driven, through a speedreduction gear arrangement k by a motor h supported by thetrou'ghd. I

The spindle b for the pivotal connection of the beam b on the trough, instead of being situated, as shown in the drawing, in'the vicinityof the shaft h could coincide therewith.

The trough d, made of sheet metal, is of U shape in cross section (as may be seen more clearly from Figure 7); it is'reinforcedon'its sides by angle irons d and at its bottom by inclined plates 6 in order to eenrorm'to fhesbap'e or the scraper chain. I

Eac'h'of the beams a and 12 carries, at its end near the pivotal corinectio'nc of these'bamaoh atransverse shaft a 'b a roller a ,b respectively; these two rollers, which are situated on'opp'osite -sides 'ef 'thespind'le c, serve to guide the scraper chain "g, preventing it tram rubbing on this'sp'ihdle c and "the sharpness of curvature of the scraper chain g whereit passes'through this region.

The beam at is supported, at its 'rreeexnemity, by a collar or stirrup i, 'sufr'ouiidingfthi's'beam and connected by two ties'i to the'iipper end of a double jib 'i ,'pivotall'y connected on the rear end o'fthe tlough'd 'at i this jib can be drawn up by means of a pulley i by'a cable i passing over this pulley, the'stationaryleiigth of the cable being fixedto'theltrough d at i while the'movabl'e length is wound on a pulley-drum i"; this pulley is actuated by a hand 'wheel i "which can be locked by a bolt '(ritit 'h l 'B'y "winding the cable 'i upenthepune -amm i", -it is possible to raise the beam-a 'until'it is brought iiito a position approaching "the vertical. I

The direction of rotation of the shafit h and 6f the drive sprocket h for the scraper chain g is suchthatfthe lower run of this chain moves (from left to right'in Figu'r'e 1) from the tensioning roller towards the guide rollers a "b andthetoothed 'drive'sprockt h.

I This chain 1g carries (Figure 3') scrapers 3 provided with cutting teeth g "for tearing away hard or cam ed prodilts; eachscraper carries a'rear' tail g ,bearii1g tip-"6n the corresponding link of the chain.

The shaft a supporting the tensioning roller 7 at the rear end of the beam a carries at its ends cutting discs a intended to slice into the material on either side of the scraper chain, in order to facilitate its removal by the scraper chain, when this material is hard and compact (for example in the case of clay or manure).

Two stops (Figure 1), constituted by threaded rods b mounted in parts forming nuts fixed on the rear edges of the trough d, support the two longitudinal members of the beam b, in the vicinity of the pivotal connection 0 of the two beams a, b, in order to prevent the scraper chain g from catching on the lip d at the rear extremity of the trough.

This trough d is pivotally connected (see Figures 4 to 7) in the vicinity of its front end, on the chassis of the carriage e at d so that it can rock and permit the rear lip d ofthe trough to rest upon the ground (Figures 1 and 4). In the vicinity of its rear extremity (to the left in the drawing), the trough d is supported by a transverse sleeve d welded to the bottom of this trough (Fig ure 7); through this sleeve d there passes a transverse shaft k fast with a lever k and pivotally connected at each of its ends to a double link k itself pivotally connected to an arm k which can pivot about a fixed point k on the chassis e of the carriage (Figures 6 and 7).

When the lever k has been pivoted to the left (position represented in Figures 4 and 6), the rear lip d of the trough rests on the ground; when it is desired to raise this lip of the trough, for example in order to shift the shoveller, it is suflicient to turn down the lever k completely to the right, so as to bring it into the position reprmented in Figure 5; the articulated system k, k k k acts, through the intermediary of the sleeve d on the bottom of the trough d so as to raise the latter; the lever k can be held in the lower position (and consequently the trough in its raised position) by a bolt k which can slide in a socket e connected, for example by welding, to the chassis e of the carriage; in its drawn-out position (Figure 5), this sliding bolt k covers the lever k and prevents it from riding under the action of the weight of the trough.

The carriage comprises four wheels, of which the two front wheels e e (to the right inthe drawing) are mounted on a pole-socket e with pivot 2 the rear wheels e are angularly adjustable; they can be fixed (as shown in Figure 4) in three positions, by means of a pin e which is engaged in one of the three holes formed'in a plate 12 (fast with the chassis of the carriage). This arrangement permits of placing the shoveller in any desired angular position in relation to the heap of material to be removed, or of shifting it parallel thereto.

This shoveller is used in the following manner:

At the commencement of the operation, the beam having been raised by operation of the hand wheel i to an angle equal to the inclination of the bank of material to be removed, the shoveller is advanced towards this bank. The motor h is set in operation; the scrapers g of the chain g commence to scrape the heap of material. The cable i is unwound, by operation of the hand wheel i in the opposite direction to formerly, in order to permit the beam a to descend and to let the scraper chain g rest upon the heap. The material removed by the chain is brought to the bottom of the heap. Then it is carried by the scrapers g to the one end of the trougi and is picked up by the scrapers and carried through the trough. At

the raised or discharge end of the trough, the material I is discharged.

What I claim is:

1. A mechanical shoveller comprising a carriage serving for shifting of the shoveller as a whole, a trough mounted on said carriage, a scraper chain, two beams supporting said scraper chain, one beam extending within the trough and the second beam extending beyond the trough causing a part of the chain to work within the trough while another part is scraping material from the ground up into the trough, means pivotally connecting the end of said one beam to one end of the second beam, 5 means pivotally connecting the other end of said second beam to the trough, a drive sprocket and a tensioning roller mounted on remote ends of said beams, a guide roller on each beam adjacent the pivotal connection of said beams for said scraper chain, said scraper chain passing over said sprocket and said tensioning roller and said guide rollers.

2. A mechanical shoveller comprising a carriage serving for shifting of the shoveller as a whole, a trough mounted on said carriage, a scraper chain, two beams supporting said scraper chain, one beam extending within the trough and the second beam extending beyond the trough causing a part of the chain to work within the trough while another part is scraping material from the ground up into thetrough, means pivotally connecting the end of said one beam to one end of the second beam, means pivotally connecting the other end of said second beam to the trough, a. tensioning roller mounted on a spindle on one of said beams, and discs with cutting edges mounted on the ends of said spindle to slice into the material to be picked up by the scraper chain.

. '3. A shoveller as claimed in claim 1 having discs with cutting edges mounted on the spindle of the tensioning roller to slice into material to be picked up by the scraper 4. A shoveller as claimed in claim 1 having means pivotally connecting the trough to the carriage to enable raising and lowering movement of the trough on the carriage, and means on the shoveller for raising or lowering the trough and causing the lip of the trough to rest on or to be elevated above the ground, at will.

5. A shoveller as claimed in claim 1 having stops adjustably' mounted on the trough in the vicinity of its 1 pivotal connection with said second beam to limit the descending movement of said second beam and to pre- 40 vent the chain from catching on the lip of the trough where the chain enters the trough.

6. A shoveller as. claimed in claim 1 having means on the carriage to raise said exteriorly-extending second beam to shorten the length of the machine and facilitate transportation.

7. A shoveller as claimed in claim 1 having wheel means at one end of the carriage pivotally mounted for angular turning, and wheel means pivotally mounted at the other end of the carriage for individual turning angularly relative to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS McAllister June 20, 1922 1,420,118 2,477,790 Farr a a1. Aug. 2, 1949 FOR EIGN PATENIS 502,513 Germany July 17, 1930 354,077 Great Britain Aug. 6, 1931 

